• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.28 no.910
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• pp.1282-1291
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• 2004

Kenaf was cultivated and harvested in large quantity in Cheju Island and Chinju, Kyungsangnamdo. It was chemically rotted with 3% NaOH for 60 minutes at 100$^{\circ}C$, neutralized using 1% acetic acid, washed and dried, and obtained 40kg of dry kenaf fiber. Kenaf 15/rayon 85, flax 15/rayon 85, and rayon 100% yam was spun and the physical characteristics were measured. Plain weave and twill weave fabrics were made using each of the above yarns as the filling yam. Cotton 100% yam was used as the warp yam in all fabrics. Kenaf/rayon blend yarns were higher in tenacity and elongation, lower in yam uniformity, higher in the number of nep than the flax/rayon blended yams. Kenaf/rayon blend fabric had higher tenacity and elongation compared to the flax/rayon blend fabric Kenaf/rayon blend fabric was most stiff in both plain weave and twill weave fabrics whereas drape characteristics was dependent upon the fabric structure of the kenaf/rayon blend and flax/rayon blend. There were little differences between the kenaf/rayon blend fabric and the flax/rayon blend fabric in the Kawabata physical measurements and the PHVs. The only drawback of kenaf fiber was it's surface roughness and it is expected that it can be improved by enzyme retting and mechanical bundle separation.